Sewerage Commission of the City of Milwaukee v. State Department of Natural Resources

311 N.W.2d 677, 104 Wis. 2d 182, 1981 Wisc. App. LEXIS 3357
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedSeptember 15, 1981
Docket81-694
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 311 N.W.2d 677 (Sewerage Commission of the City of Milwaukee v. State Department of Natural Resources) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sewerage Commission of the City of Milwaukee v. State Department of Natural Resources, 311 N.W.2d 677, 104 Wis. 2d 182, 1981 Wisc. App. LEXIS 3357 (Wis. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinions

[184]*184GARTZKE, P.J.

Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade appeals from an order denying Decade leave to intervene. Because the circuit court did not abuse its discretion, and because no federal or state statute requires citizen participation in state actions to enforce water pollution control laws, we affirm.

The Sewerage Commission of the City of Milwaukee, later joined by the Metropolitan Sewerage Commission of the County of Milwaukee, brought this action against the DNR in July 1976.1 The city commission sought a declaration invalidating a DNR regulation and requirements in two DNR permits issued to the commission in December 1974 pursuant to that regulation. The requirements pertain to the dates by which the city commission’s South Shore plant and Jones Island plant must comply with effluent limits and water treatment standards. The DNR counterclaimed for forfeitures for violations of the permits and for injunctive relief.2

May 25, 1977 the circuit court entered a judgment adopting a lengthy stipulation by the parties. The stipulation affected a part of the counterclaim. It provided for a program of pollution abatement projects and set deadlines for completion of those projects. Part of the stipulation dealt with correction of wet weather bypassing and overflowing in separate sewer areas and required the commissions to coordinate a districtwide sewer system evaluation. Paragraph (B) (4) provides:

The Sewer System Evaluation Survey Report for each participating municipality shall be submitted to the Department by not later than July 1,1980; at a minimum, it [185]*185shall identify a time schedule which assures that all designated corrective work in each participating municipality is completed by not later than July 1,1986.

In April 1980 the commissions moved to amend Paragraph (B) (4) of the stipulation and therefore the judgment. That paragraph, as the commissions proposed to amend it, would establish dates in 1981 by which certain plans would be submitted and adopted. The proposed amendment would not affect the requirement that all corrective work be completed no later than July 1, 1986. No other change or modification to the stipulation was proposed.

July 28, 1980 the Decade moved for the first time since this action was commenced for leave to intervene in the action.3 Attached to the motion is the affidavit of a Decade officer who states that he uses Lake Michigan for swimming and enjoyment, that in his opinion the May 1977 stipulation was inadequate to protect his rights in the waters of the state and further weakening of the stipulation will make worse an already inadequate situation and will injure his rights in those waters, and that his interest in the waters of the state is not adequately represented by the existing parties. The Decade submitted correspondence with the Attorney General regarding Decade’s attempts to obtain information as to proposed changes in the stipulation. The circuit court denied Decade’s motion and Decade brought this appeal.

1. Timeliness

The circuit court held that Decade’s motion was untimely, with no discussion except to note that the motion was filed three years after the judgment was entered.

Section 808.09, Stats., provides in relevant part:

(1) Upon timely■ motion anyone shall be permitted to intervene in an action when the movant claims an inter[186]*186est relating to the property or transaction which is the subject of the action and the movant is so situated that the disposition of the action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant’s ability to protect that interest, unless the movant’s interest is adequately represented by existing parties.
(2) Upon timely motion anyone may be permitted to intervene in an action when a movant’s claim or defense and the main action have a question of law or fact in common. ... In exercising its discretion the court shall consider whether the intervention will unduly delay or prejudice the adjudication of the rights of the original parties. (Emphasis added.)

Thus, whether intervention is a matter of right or only permissive, the application to intervene must be “timely.” No statutory definition exists of “timely.”

We conclude that timeliness is determined by the circuit court from all the circumstances in its discretion. The burden is on the movant to show circumstances justifying intervention at a late stage of the litigation.

No Wisconsin case allowing intervention after judgment under sec. 803.09, Stats., or its predecessor has been cited to us. Hoppmann v. Reid, 86 Wis. 2d 531, 273 N.W. 2d 298 (1979), and Mercantile Contract Purchase Corp. v. Melnick, 47 Wis. 2d 580, 177 N.W.2d 858 (1970), held it was not an abuse of discretion under sec. 260.205, Stats. 1973, to deny intervention after judgment. In both cases the supreme court found it significant that the proposed intervenors knew about the action affecting their interests, but failed to act until after judgment. Hoppmann, 86 Wis. 2d at 535-36, 273 N.W.2d at 300-01; Mercantile Contract Purchase Corp., 47 Wis. 2d at 591, 177 N.W.2d at 863.

Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure resembles sec. 803.09, Stats., and does not define timeliness. Under federal case law timeliness is to be determined from all the circumstances by the trial court in the exer[187]*187cise of its sound discretion. NAACP v. New York, 418 U.S. 345, 366 (1973); Federal Dep. Ins. Corp. v. Hanrahan, 612 F.2d 1051, 1053 (7th Cir. 1980).

The federal courts take into account various factors in making a determination of timeliness. Nevilles v. Equal Employment Opportunity Com’n, 511 F.2d 303, 305 (8th Cir 1975) (how far proceedings have gone, prejudice which delay might cause to other parties, and reasons for delay). Accord, Alaniz v. Tillie Lewis Foods, 572 F.2d 657, 659 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 837 (1978) ; Commonwealth of Pa. v. Rizzo, 530 F.2d 501, 506 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 426 U.S. 921 (1976). Stallworth v. Monsanto Co., 558 F.2d 257, 264-65 (5th Cir. 1977) (how long intervenor knew or should have known of an interest in the case, or that its interests were no longer protected by an existing party, before it sought intervention; prejudice to other parties from failure promptly to request intervention; prejudice to intervenor if intervention is denied; and unusual circumstances). Accord, Culbreath v. Dukakis, 630 F.2d 15 (1st Cir 1980). United States v. American Tel. and Tel. Co.,

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311 N.W.2d 677, 104 Wis. 2d 182, 1981 Wisc. App. LEXIS 3357, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sewerage-commission-of-the-city-of-milwaukee-v-state-department-of-natural-wisctapp-1981.